Chapter 261 - 149: Painfully Expensive
Based on the Introduction, the Nightmare Level Ox Demon was much stronger than a normal Ox Demon. Its ability to retain its sanity while in a frenzy was especially important.
'But is that all?'
Li Ziyu narrowed his eyes. He'd learned his lesson; there was no harm in asking a few more questions.
And his inquiry did indeed yield something. Just as he'd suspected, the damned system and its developers were cut from the same cloth—rotten to the core. They had once again hidden a crucial piece of information.
Li Ziyu had experimented with this before. Skeleton Warriors couldn't control Alien Undead; they simply wouldn't obey. However, an Alien Undead with multiple Enchantments held sway over those with fewer, forcing them to obey commands!
In other words, this Skeleton Ox Demon could control any Alien Undead below Nightmare Level!
He wasn't just a Warrior—he was a goddamn Grand General, the kind who could both fight and command!
With that settled, a plan began to form in Li Ziyu's mind.
'Alright, let's get to it!'
Two hundred Dark Skeleton Desert Wolves, 200 Frenzied Skeleton Giant Tusked Boars, and 500 Plague Skeleton Desert Grey Rats. Li Ziyu chose to summon Demonized Beasts that came in large numbers, easily assembling a detachment of Skeleton Beasts.
Next up, twenty Constitution·Skeleton Ox Demons. They would serve as tanks; he'd see how they performed.
Then, five Strength·Skeleton Hill Giant Demons. These weren't the Giant Demons of the Beastman Race; Hill Giant Demons were taller and had sturdier frames than even Demonized Minotaurs. They should be able to handle a greater Power Enchantment, making them perfect Warriors.
Next, five Frenzy·Skeleton Ogres. Perhaps because Ogres weren't very intelligent to begin with, their Soul Energy cost was lower than other units. The system's Introduction even specifically noted that they were moronic and oafish.
Since they weren't smart to begin with, their sanity—or lack thereof—was irrelevant. This made them perfect candidates for the Frenzy Magic Energy Rune Enchantment.
Then came fifty Dark·Skeleton Jackal Wolfmen. The Dark Magic Energy Rune provided a balanced increase to both Power and Constitution. Compared to behemoths like Ox Demons, Giant Demons, and Ogres, Jackal Wolfmen were total weaklings and needed their combat effectiveness boosted.
'Alright, I'll make this many for now and send them down to test their combat effectiveness.'
In total, that was 900 Skeleton Beasts, plus 81 Alien Skeleton Undead of various Races and with different Enchantments—a force of nearly a thousand units.
The haul this time had been massive, and he'd obtained so many different Runes. Li Ziyu couldn't be sure how effective each one would be, so he had to create some test units first.
Once the Alien Undead emerged from the catacombs, Li Ziyu placed them all under the command of the Nightmare Skeleton Ox Demon. He gave the creature a separate, overriding order: protect itself at all costs. The other Alien Undead were expendable, but the Nightmare Skeleton Ox Demon could not be allowed to die.
The reason was simple: it was too damn expensive!
If it fell in battle down there, Li Ziyu felt he would die of sheer regret.
With preparations complete, the thousand-strong contingent of Alien Undead entered the depths. After some thought, Li Ziyu stationed another army of Skeleton Undead on the platform above. If anything went wrong down below, they were to descend and provide support.
The loss of over twenty thousand Skeleton Undead suggested the Demonized Creatures below were no pushovers. They were incredibly strong and numerous. Who knew how many more were still in the city? If they all swarmed out at once, it was uncertain whether the two hundred thousand Skeleton Undead already underground could hold them back.
If the two hundred thousand Undead were massed together, Li Ziyu wouldn't be worried. But they were all dispersed, which gave the enemy an opportunity to pick them off one by one. He still needed to be cautious.